Men's hockey: Buckeyes stay hot, knock off Colonials

The No. 4 Ohio State men's hockey team scored two unanswered goals to open the second half of the season with a 4-2 neutral-site victory against Robert Morris in Pittsburgh.

The No. 4 Ohio State men's hockey team scored two unanswered goals to open the second half of the season with a 4-2 neutral-site victory against Robert Morris in Pittsburgh.

After twice tying the score in the first period, the Buckeyes took the lead for good on a 5-on-3 goal from junior defenseman Devon Krogh at the 9:27 mark of the second period. It was OSU's lone goal on five power-play chances and came as the Buckeyes (14-4-1, 10-3-1-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) outshot the Colonials (9-7-2, 7-2-2 Atlantic Hockey Association) 19-8 during the period.

Chris Crane's empty-net goal with 14 seconds remaining in the game completed the scoring.

Freshman Nick Otto assisted on Curtis Gedig's first-period goal that tied the score at 1, then scored on a rebound with 3:11 remaining in the period for his second two-point night. Otto's goal came 32 seconds after Robert Morris had taken a 2-1 lead on the second goal of the night from Colin South.

Ohio State goalie Cal Heeter stopped 33 shots to improve to 12-2-1. The Buckeyes outshot the Colonials 43-35, including a 26-17 advantage in the final two periods, and moved to 7-3 when their opponent scores first.

For the Buckeyes, it marked their first game since a 3-2 overtime win Dec. 10 against Miami University and made them 11-1 in their past 12 games. The game was part of the Robert Morris Holiday Showcase and was played at Consol Energy Center, home of the NHL's Penguins.